MovingOut

When clients have completed the goals they made at the beginning of Make Progress— maintaining a steady income, fostering a supportive community, and finding safe housing— they are celebrated at a graduation and are considered “move-out ready”.

At Fuqua Hall, our transitional housing campus for men, we make sure to joyfully celebrate clients often. We provide cleaning items in their rooms when they move in to celebrate their move and to encourage their independent living. The first Tuesday of the month, in our Fuqua Hall Community Meeting, we celebrate birthdays, new client move ins and new beginnings when clients move out. Clients that move out receive a "Welcome Home" basket of items for their new home.

When women at My Sister’s House graduate and move into their own place, they are provided with important items for their new home from the “Homecoming Closet”, such as pots, pans, utensils, lamps, bedding, towels, and more. This closet is kept stocked by our gracious friends in The Circle of Sisters, a group of women who are passionate about volunteering with our women and children.

A job and a house are not the only outcomes for the men and women we serve, and our clients’ transformation does not stop once they move into permanent housing. The goal of our services is that our clients would sustain the changes made in their time with us, and also continue to grow. This type of growth requires community support and nourishment. We support our clients so they become thriving members of our community.

Story of Hope: Carletta

Every morning, Carletta wakes up early to do a devotional. She is grateful to be living in her very own apartment where she can watch the sunrise while she prepares for work. When she arrives at the preschool, she is greeted with smiles and shouts of “Miss Carletta!” by the young children. Carletta has been working as an early childhood teacher at Bright Horizons for the past year.

A year ago, however, things weren’t looking so bright for Carletta. She broke her foot at her teaching job, and wasn’t able to continue working. Without an income, she was not able to pay her rent. She has no family here in Atlanta to help her, so she made the difficult decision to come to My Sister’s House, Atlanta Mission’s campus for women and children.

After graduating from Make Progress, Carletta decided to enter the @Work program so she could prepare for job searching. “Carletta is an easy going, love to help in any way possible kind of person,” shares Simone Thomas, @Work Leader. “She always looks for opportunities to get to know someone and can relate to you with just about anything. I always love talking to her because she is so forthcoming about her personal experiences, challenges and growth. She has a big heart and simply loves helping others.”

Carletta began her job search feeling well-prepared and was soon hired by Bright Horizons. Her passion is teaching “little people”, which is what she has been doing since the early 1980s.

She lived at My Sister’s House and worked for six months until she had saved enough to move into her own apartment. Now, because of the @Work program, she is living independently and working in a field she loves. She is excited to take place in the next Great Wall Ceremony to celebrate being employed for over a year.